UPDATE 1-Putin, Merkel discuss Ukraine, agree more contacts - Kremlin

(Recasts with comments from German government spokesman)

MOSCOW/BERLIN, Sept 29 Chancellor Angela Merkel
urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to stabilise
a fragile ceasefire in Ukraine and do all he could to improve
the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Syria, a German
government spokesman said.

"The chancellor expressed great concern about the situation
in Syria and urged President Putin to do everything possible to
improve conditions for the civilian population," the spokesman
said, referring to a phone call between the two leaders.

The Kremlin earlier said Merkel and Putin had agreed on a
schedule of future contacts in the so-called Normandy format,
first adopted at talks in France in 2014, which brings together
the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

The Ukraine crisis was discussed within the framework of
"reactivating work for a full implementation of the Minsk
(ceasefire) agreements", the Kremlin said.

The German government spokesman said Merkel had urged Putin
to continue to implement the Minsk peace accord of 2015,
designed to end conflict between Ukrainian government forces and
pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
(Reporting by Polina Devitt in Moscow and Andrea Shalal in
Berlin; editing by Dmitry Solovyov and Mark Trevelyan)

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